Why is the dependence on forage fish an issue of concern for the Dialogues?
Small forage fish are eaten by humans but are primarily reduced into fishmeal and fish oil for use in animal and aquaculture feed. The demand for this type of fish is high and expected to continue to rise. There is concern that increased demand could lead to the overfishing – and collapse – of small forage fish stocks. These small fish play an important role in the ecosystem and a lot of larger fish, marine species and seabird populations rely on these fish for feed. Many aquaculture industry stakeholders, including NGOs and producers, recognize that, if the industry is going to continue to grow, it will have to do so without significantly increasing its use of forage fish for fishmeal and fish oil. The aquaculture industry has reduced the percentage of fishmeal and oil in feed significantly in recent years, and continues to research ways to decrease reliance on them.
